If for no other contribution to its culture
and development, the American people owe a debt of gratitude to the Germans for
having brought into its social life some brightening rays of sunshine.

Whoever studies the social life of the early
settlers, in par­ticular that of the Puritans, Quakers and other sectarians, will find that it was dominated
by two aims strangely opposed to each other, the one, an intensive striving for
material gain, the other, laying up stores for the life hereafter.

The pursuit of these objects rendered the
earthly existence of the Anglo Americans so grave and joyless that visitors to
this country were repelled by its melancholic monotony. Such was the experience
of the British authoress Frances Trollope recorded in her famous book “Domestic
Manners of the Americans." Having traveled in this country from 1827 to
1831, she felt herself justified in saying:"I never saw a population so totally divested of gaiety; there is
no trace of this feeling from one end of the Union to the other. They have no
fetes, no fairs, no merry-makings, no music in the streets."

To have brought a change in this joyless life
is the great merit of the Germans, who made America their home. When they
emigrated from the beloved fatherland, their cheerfulness, good humor and love
for music and song were the most valuable treasures; they brought with them to
our shores. With their sunny mind they enriched our nation, while she was in
the process of evolution, to such a degree, that the American people should
have to the Germans no other feeling but deep gratitude.

There was a great difference in the religious
service of the Puritans and Quakers and of that of the Germans. While the first
abhorred music and singing the latter enjoyed the wonderful impressive hymns
and the great symphonies of Martin Luther, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart and
other composers of the 17th and 18th centuries. Visitors, who heard these songs
in Bethlehem and in the Ephrata cloister, confessed that they were overwhelmed
by the impressive cadence of the chorals of the combined choirs, of the angelic
or celestial quality of the vocal music.

But these musical exercises were not confined
to religious meetings exclusively. From the history of the Moravians we know,
that they had songs for their daily work as well. Bishop Spangenberg, head of
the community during the middle of the 18th century states:"Never since the creation ofthis world have been invented and used such
lovely songs for shepherds,farmers,
reapers,threshers,Spinners,seamstresses and other working people than here. It would be easy, to
make up a whole volume with these beautiful melodies."